HAPPY TURTLES – These turtles look happy to be, er, playing at Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus. A group of Bergen County residents was enjoying nature recently when they caught these photos of an elaborate ritual (see briefs). Elaine Raine of Clifton snapped this particular photo. Have nice local photos? Send to editorial@hudsonreporter.com up to three photos attached as .jpgs to each email.

Employers and job seekers can attend the 2013 Annual Secaucus Career Fair on Wednesday, June 12, from 5 to 8 p.m. at theSecaucus Recreation Center, 1200 Koelle Blvd. Those interested in attending must register before May 30. For registration forms, or more information, call Olga Velez at (201) 758-5510.

The Secaucus Career Fair is sponsored by North Hudson Community Action and the town of Secaucus.

Amazing animals can be found in Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus

A group of Bergen County nature lovers recently snapped several photos of snapping turtles – of course – in Mill Creek Marsh in Secaucus. They wanted to describe what they saw.

Mickey Raine writes about what his wife and others witnessed: “They were of fairly decent size snapping turtles engaged in a very violent mating ritual. The male was very aggressive, and would practically run its powerful claws across the head of the mate and sometimes bite hard on the circular flap of thick skin on the neck that goes around the head. The pair would move in quick bursts, then suddenly slow the pace and exude signs of gentle behavior, before returning, once again, to the extremely violent and aggressive practice. This continued for awhile, and due to the rapid, bolt-like movements, it was difficult to capture shots as clearly as [my wife Elaine] wanted; however, I believe that they came out quite nicely. When I asked about the animals’ length, she said that they had to be at least 16 to 18 inches with just the shell. Then, when considering the long tails and neck, ultimately, the total length would be well into the 30-plus-inch range.” But that’s not really what matters, right?

Send your interesting photos of local life in Hudson County to editorial@hudsonreporter.com, and put your town in the subject head.